


Birdhouse In Your Soul

by AllDaveKat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Ashen Romance | Auspistice, M/M, Multi, Not Epilogue Compliant, Polyamory, Quadrant Confusion, Self-Esteem Issues, Strider Manpain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:14:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllDaveKat/pseuds/AllDaveKat
Summary: Davesprite doesn't understand why Karkat keeps trying to be his friend. Doesn't he already have another, better Dave to hang around with?
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Davesprite/Dave Strider, Davesprite/Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Davesprite/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 9
Kudos: 91





	Birdhouse In Your Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ashen Cawkat Comic](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/585631) by Koa_Doodles. 



> Based on Koa's cawkat comics: [[Part 1]](https://twitter.com/koa_doodles/status/1221119460200931328) and [[Part 2]](https://twitter.com/koa_doodles/status/1249774876258373639)!! <3
> 
> This chapter is literally just a word-for-word rehash of Part 1 of Koa's comic. I'll get into new content in the next chapter!

It’s mid-day, the sun is beating down, and Davesprite’s perched on the rooftop of his old apartment. And by old, he means like four hundred and some-odd years older than it was when he and Bro lived here. Jade did some space shenanigans and dragged Dirk’s version of the apartment up out of the ocean, and erected it (lol) all nice and sturdy in a random field.

Davesprite’s seen Dirk up here a few times, but aside from that, it’s mostly been unoccupied. In any case, it seems to be one of the few places other Dave won’t show his face, which is the main reason Davesprite’s here all the time.

It’s lonely, sitting on a rooftop by himself, but he’s used to being lonely. Comfortable with it, even. Okay, not comfortable, that’s a fucking lie and even Davesprite can’t lie to himself that well, but. Whatever.

His friends are dead, and the copies of them that he shares this universe with don’t seem to have any interest in him. They’re uncomfortable around him, probably because he’s a reminder of loss and failure and… he’s just kind of a depressing sack of shit, if he’s being honest. He knows it, he can feel himself being shitty and sucky, moping around everywhere and dragging his dark cloud of woe-is-me everywhere, but he can’t seem to stop.

He startles when he hears a voice behind him.

“So I’m guessing you’re that Dave who was stupid enough to prototype himself with the god-awful squawkbeast sprite?”

It’s Karkat. He’s standing on the roof, looking up at Davesprite, who’s perched on top of the AC unit. He likes high places, what can he say? It’s probably the bird in him.

Davesprite just looks at him, not sure what the fuck to say to that, so he says nothing at all. He hasn’t really talked to Karkat before, he doesn’t exactly get what the guy’s whole deal is, except that he shouts a lot for no apparent reason. He wouldn’t even have paid attention to the troll if it weren’t for the fact that Alpha Dave is always hanging all over him in a flagrant display of emotional availability. He’s even seen them holding hands before. It makes Davesprite hells of uncomfortable, so he’s made a habit of avoiding both of them whenever he sees them.

Can’t exactly avoid a guy when he’s cornered you on a rooftop, though. If only that feeling wasn’t so damn familiar.

Karkat’s arms are folded across his chest. “Where’s your shitty sword?”

Davesprite glances down to the grassy field twenty stories down. “I, uh. Threw it off the building earlier. Should be down there somewhere if you need it.”

“I don’t need your garbage fucking sword, Dave,” Karkat snorts. “Quite frankly I’d rather chuck _myself_ off this building. Not to use it, mind you, but to hopefully impale myself on it. Believe it or not, I came to talk to you. Seeing how I never really got to speak to you for the entire three ‘years’ we were playing the same bulge-chafing game together.”

“And here I thought you and other Dave got all super chummy on the ride here. I’m sure you got to talk to me plenty, dude.”

“Yeah, well! Newsflash asshole! You’re not other Dave, are you?”

Karkat starts trying to clamber on top of the AC unit to join Davesprite up there, his stubby legs not letting him up. He struggles and huffs, and Davesprite watches him for a second, realizing that oh yeah, Karkat can’t fly. He knew the guy wasn’t godtier, obviously, but. It didn’t really sink in until now. Before he can think better of it, he’s reaching out an arm to help him up.

“You’re not godtier,” he blurts out.

Karkat sits down next to him, an angry look on his face. “Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me how utterly shit I was at the Game.”

Fuck, he’s already pissed him off. So much for making new friends. Not that he was expecting Karkat to like him, anyway. Karkat already has the real Dave, why would he need the knockoff version too?

“No, no, I mean. You’re just a dude,” he says. “How are you still alive?”

Karkat stares at him, and after a moment, Davesprite realizes with horror that pink tears have sprung into Karkat’s eyes. He buries his face in his arm, rubbing them away with his sleeve before they can fall. God, Davesprite’s only been talking to him for five seconds and he’s already made the guy cry. He’s such a piece of shit.

“Oh shit. Shit dude, uh, Karkat I didn’t--”

“Shut up.” Karkat interrupts him, looking back up. His eyes are still watery but he looks a little more composed. “It’s fine.”

They sit together in awkward silence for a moment.

Then--

“I miss Rose,” Davesprite mumbles. He’s not sure why he says it, only that he feels like he owes Karkat something for having seen him so vulnerable already. “My Rose. And my friends. I wish I would’ve disappeared with them sometimes.”

It feels… surprisingly good to voice this, these horrible, all-consuming thoughts he’s been holding in for so long.

“And yeah, I get it,” he continues. “That’s how shit had to go down. Some Dave had to jump into that sprite and fix the timeline. But I just... do I have to be dealt every shit hand in existence?”

He sighs.

“Fucked up thing was how little I thought it through in the end. I was so excited to talk to John and Jade again. Who knows what happened to that Rose. Alpha Rose has some of her memories, but fuck if I know how to talk to her about it. John could barely even look at me or go one conversation without mentioning the real Dave.”

He knows he sounds bitter and whiny, and he hates it, but maybe if he shows enough of his true colors right away, Karkat will get sick of him and leave him alone again. Does he even want that, still, being alone? He doesn’t fucking know anymore.

“Do you like John?” Karkat asks him suddenly.

“What? No. I’m not ga--” Davesprite starts to answer, but stops at the look on Karkat’s face. The look that says, bitch, I know exactly how gay your alternate self _isn’t_ , so don’t even _try_.

He feels his face heat up.

“No, I don’t like John. Like that. I just wish we could, like. Talk. Y’know?” He gestures in frustration, looking down off the building again.

A gray hand appears in his peripheral vision, palm facing up. Davesprite turns toward it. Karkat’s holding his hand out to him, expecting him to… grab it? What?

“So let’s go talk to him,” Karkat says, by way of explanation. “If he’s a total nookwhiff about it we’ll just beat the shit out of him together.”

The unexpected term shakes Davesprite out of his funk for a moment. “Haha, a total what?”

“Oh, you heard me!” Karkat rolls his eyes dramatically, still holding his hand out. “Let’s laugh uncontrollably at each other’s alien terminology later, shall we?”

Davesprite hesitates, then gives him the smallest smile, finally grabbing Karkat’s hand. “Sounds like a plan. We are so not beating up John though, dude.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm @alldavekat on [twitter](https://twitter.com/alldavekat) and [tumblr](https://alldavekat.tumblr.com)
> 
> my [homestuck rp discord server](https://discord.gg/Zmq9B9R) (18+)


End file.
